Chapter 144 – Brains Over Speed
The soft hum of machines filled the medbay, along with the slow, rhythmic beep of Dante's heart monitor.
He was lying back on a recovery table, half-conscious, his arm strapped into one of Cisco's experimental healing devices. The machine emitted a faint blue glow, small robotic arms knitting torn muscle and fractured bone with microscopic precision. Painkillers dulled the worst of it, but he still winced every few minutes.
Cisco stood off to the side, monitoring a readout. "This thing burns power faster than a Wally West mood swing," he muttered. "But at least it works. Kind of useless on metahumans because their cells don't respond normally… but on a baseline human like Dante? Perfect."
Barry, Caitlin, and Wells were at a nearby lab table dissecting the Godspeed clone's suit, scanning for clues—anything that might hint at August Heart's whereabouts or next move.
Patty had already returned to CCPD to manage the chaos spilling into Central City from all directions.
Meanwhile, in the medbay—
Bart couldn't stop moving.
He bounced in place, full of jittery excitement, occasionally vibrating so fast the air around him shimmered.
Nora sat calmly nearby, watching her brother wear a hole in the floor.
Bart finally burst out, "Uncle D, I can't believe you! You're literally human! And you won!"
Dante groaned and tilted his head toward him. "Can't you see I lost my damn arm? If it weren't for Cisco's little miracle box here, they'd be amputating it and calling me Lefty."
Nora laughed. "True, but still—how did you do it?"
Bart nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Tell us! Come on!"
Dante sighed deeply, then smirked. "Fine. But first—go get my cigarette and lighter. Your dad confiscated them."
Bart zipped out of the room in a flash of blue lightning. He returned two seconds later with a cigarette between his fingers and a cheeky grin.
He slipped the cigarette between Dante's lips and sparked it with a small static pulse from his fingers.
Dante stared at him, unimpressed. "Who taught you that?"
Bart beamed. "You, from the future."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah… your dad once told me I'm the only moron who ever figured out how to use the Speed Force to light a smoke."
Nora grinned. "Classic."
Bart clapped his hands together. "Alright, Uncle D—spill. How did you survive fighting a speedster for thirty straight minutes? You don't even have powers anymore!"
Dante inhaled the smoke and exhaled slowly. "Well... it was easy, actually."
They stared at him, unconvinced.
He grinned. "Okay, not easy, but simple. Listen up."
He shifted slightly, wincing at the tight pull of healing skin. "The thing about speedsters? They're fast. Strong. Sometimes even brilliant. But this one? Clone or not—he was dumb."
Bart leaned in. "What do you mean?"
"You can't beat a smart enemy. Even if he's just human, a smart enemy can outmaneuver you. But a dumb one?" Dante chuckled, eyes half-lidded. "You can beat a dumb enemy—even if he's a god."
He let that hang for a second, puffing on the cigarette.
"At first," he continued, "he ran at me. Full sprint. Lightning and all. I dodged. Barely."
"You dodged a speedster?" Nora asked.
Dante nodded. "Yeah. I'm still human, sure. But I used to wield the Void Force. Some of that stuck around. Reflexes, muscle memory. I don't have powers anymore—but my body's not average either."
Bart was wide-eyed. "That's awesome."
"Don't interrupt," Dante growled, but he smirked.
"Anyway," he said, "after what happened before with that clone in ccpd , Cisco gave me this little injector. Said it could slow down speedsters for about 15 minutes. Didn't ask what's in it. Probably coffee and nanotech."
Bart laughed.
"So when Godspeed charged at me, I stuck him. Slowed him down. That gave me a window."
Nora tilted her head. "And you used that to…"
"Break his legs," Dante said bluntly.
The twins blinked.
"You what?"
"Broke both his legs," Dante repeated. "Smashed the bones. Took fifteen minutes, but I did it. He got his speed back after that, sure. He started to heal, regenerate. But by then—"
He took another puff and blew smoke toward the ceiling.
"I'd memorized his pattern. His rhythm. His tells. So every time he tried to run again, I hit him. Over and over. And over. Same spot. Same side. Disoriented him. Messed up his equilibrium."
Nora blinked. "You exploited his recovery period."
"Exactly."
Bart whistled. "Daaaaamn."
Dante smirked. "Fifteen more minutes of fighting, and he collapsed. Couldn't keep up. His speed was faster—but I was smarter. And stubborn."
Nora grinned. "You really are your own brand of crazy."
"I prefer the term 'resourceful,'" Dante said, half-laughing.
Bart looked at his uncle like he was a legend. "You're the coolest uncle ever. I mean, you're just a guy! And you fought a godspeed clone! And won! Without powers!"
"Don't make me blush," Dante muttered. "I'm recovering."
Nora smiled gently. "You're more than just recovering, uncle D. You reminded us that power isn't just speed, or strength. It's strategy. Will. Guts."
He flicked ash into a tray beside his bed. "And nicotine. Don't forget that."
Bart's eyes sparkled. "I wanna learn that stuff. Not just how to run fast—but how to think like you. How to fight dirty. Smart."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I'm not exactly a poster boy for mental health."
Bart nodded without hesitation. "I'm sure. Teach me."
Dante looked at Nora.
She smiled. "Maybe it's time the next generation learned from more than just the Speed Force."
There was a pause. Dante's cigarette burned low.
"Fine," he finally said. "When I'm done healing, you're both getting a crash course in how not to die when someone faster than you wants to turn you into a meat pancake."
Bart pumped his fist in the air.
Just then, Barry entered the medbay, holding a data pad.
"Good news," he said, "we found a quantum signature embedded in the clone's suit. A trace signal—like a homing beacon."
Cisco's voice called in from the lab. "And it's active. Wherever August Heart is hiding—he's pinging this suit. Which means…"
"He's close," Barry said, eyes narrowing. "Closer than we thought."
Dante sighed and crushed the cigarette out.
"No rest for the wicked, huh?"
Nora stood up. "Let's go find him."
Dante nodded, voice low. "Let's end this."
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